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1: Circuit Description
2: Semiconductor Models
3. MOSFET Model Parameters
4: Analysis Methods
5: General Spice Notes
6: Using B2 Spice
1. Circuit Description
Although most SPICE simulators today use a graphical interface, an understanding of SPICE netlist concepts is very
useful. A netlist is a complete text description of the circuit which includes the element lines, analysis statement(s),
and a list of model parameters for semiconductor devices. Whether using a graphical interface or a text netlist, all
of the parameters discussed below are necessary to describe the circuit and desired simulation. This section explains
the element lines, and model and analysis statements are covered below.
Circuits for SPICE simulation are described the elements of the circuit and a list of the nets (nodes) each element is
connected to. Elements include sources (voltage, current, etc.) and devices (resistors, capacitors, transistors, etc.).
Elements must be assigned unique names starting with a designated letter as shown below. The element name is the
first part of the element line which also contains a list of the nets each terminal of the element is connected to and
key data describing the device. Nets, or nodes, can be assigned names or numbers depending on the specific
software used. Data in the element line describes the element, e.g. the DC voltage of a voltage source or the
resistance of a resistor. Because semiconductor elements are more complex to model than linear elements, modeling
parameters for semiconductor devices are contained in a separate part of the netlist called a .MODEL statement. To
indicate which .MODEL statement should be used for each element, semiconductor element lines must contain a
model name (which also appears in the .MODEL statement). Although most of the parameters for semiconductors are
in the model statement, the parameters that can be changed by designers (i.e. non-process specific parameters) are
assigned in the element line. In general, element line parameters for semiconductor devices relate to the size of the
device, e.g. the length and width of an MOS transistor.
Although graphical SPICE programs do not use element lines, the data entered in the element line of a netlist must
also be specified. For example, in many SPICE programs you can double-click a device and then assign the
appropriate parameters. For semiconductor devices, you may have to open the model description to alter those
parameters.
An example showing many of the most common circuit elements is shown in the netlist below. Note, this circuit is
for illustration only and may not be functional.
Vdd 1 0 5
R1 1 2 1K
R2 2 0 2K
Mn1 2 3 0 0 cmosn L=2e-6 W=4e-6
Mp1 2 3 1 1 cmosp L=2e-6 W=4e-6
C1 3 0 1n
Note: some (but not all) units are implied and do not need to be specifically written. For example, Vxx is assumed to be in volts,
Rxx is assumed to be in ohms, etc.
Element Line Descriptions (for some common elements –others are available)
Voltage Source
Vxx +node -node DC value
Current Source
Vxx +node -node DC value
Using SPICE Prof. A. Mason
Resistor
Rxx node1 node2 value
Capacitor
Cxx node1 node2 value
Diode
Dxx +node -node model_name <area>
plus other optional parameters
Bipolar Transistor
Qxx collector base emitter <bulk> model_name <area>
plus other optional parameters
MOS Transistor
Mxx drain gate source bulk model_name <L=value> <W=value> <AD=value> <AS=value>
plus other optional parameters
Note: parameters in <> are optional and not required for simu lation.
2. Semiconductor Models
Semiconductor devices are nonlinear, and as a result several parameters are required to model there operation is
circuit simulators such as SPICE. The required parameters are specific to each device type and to the equations that
are used to model the performance of each device. For example, there are a wide range of equation-models used to
describe MOSFETs, and the equations we learn in class are for the most basic model.
PN Junction Diodes
.MODEL Model_Name D <(parameter 1=value1 parameter 2=value2 . . . )>
PN Junction Diodes
Name Parameter Units Default
IS saturation current A 1.0E-14
N emission coefficient - 1
BV reverse breakdown voltage V infinite
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Using SPICE Prof. A. Mason
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Using SPICE Prof. A. Mason
Base Parameters
Parameter Equation SPICE Units
Variable Variable
Substrate Impurity Conc. ND , NA NSUB cm-3
Surface Mobility µn, µp UO cm2 /V-sec
Gate Oxide Thickness tOX TOX meters
Oxide Charge Density Nss NSS cm-2
Lateral Diffusion under Gate Ld LD meters
NOTE: some parameters are specific to nMOS or pMOS, e.g. µn and µp.
Derived Parameters
The following parameters are calculated based on the ‘base parameters’ listed above.
1 ∆L
LAMBDA = Leff = L − 2 LD
Leff ∆V DS
VTO = Φ MS −
q • NSS
+
(
2 • q • ε Si • NSUB • PHI ) 1
2
+ PHI
εOX εOX
TOX TOX
NOTE: Any parameter given in the .MODEL statement will override parameters SP ICE might calculate using these equations.
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Using SPICE Prof. A. Mason
4. Analysis Description
SPICE can perform a variety of types of analysis on a circuit. Some of these are briefly described below.
Transient Analysis
Most of the simulation we will do will involve transient analysis which will tell us what our circuit is doing as a
function of time. A transient analysis has the following properties which must be defined.
DC Analysis
Use a DC analysis if you want to view the response of the circuit when a source (voltage or current) sweeps between
two DC values. The command and parameters are:
AC Analysis
To sweep all AC sources across a range of frequencies, use the .AC command.
See SPICE manuals for more information and additional analysis types.
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Using SPICE Prof. A. Mason
Starting B 2 Spice:
You should be able to access the B 2 Spice folder from the Start Menu on PCs in student labs in the Civil Engineering building as
well as Young Library. Look in
Programs => Instructional Software => B^2 Spice
Once in the B 2 Spice folder, start the program by clicking on an icon called Workshop. The program will respond with the
workshop window and you can either draw a new circuit, type up a new netlist, or open an old circuit (graphic/CAD format) or
netlist. These options are accessible from the FILE menu option. Be sure to open a file from the File menu rather than double-
clicking the file –this won’t work if your file is on a floppy disk or a drive other than the one the application is on.
To modify element parameters (such as Voltage of a voltage source or Length and Width of a MOSFET), double click the
element to open the Simulation Model Properties window and set the values. For semiconductor devices you will also need to set
the model parameters, which you can do by clicking on either the Edit from table or Edit as Text buttons. You can save your
models in a process file that you can name by clicking Make Unique and assigning a new name to the parameters you define.
Once all the parameters are set, click OK and return to the circuit window. You can right-click on any element and copy it. Once
you have set the parameters (including model parameters), copying a device will copy all the model parameters with it. You can
still change the parameters (e.g. Length and Width) of the copied transistors, but you won’t have to enter all the model data again
if you copy the first device. However, you will need to enter different model parameters for both an nMOS and a pMOS FETs,
or npn and pnp BJTs.
For more information, see the notes above, and use the Online Help functions of this program.
The old commands like .PRINT and .PLOT are no longer applicable. You have to select the variables you want displayed from
the edit menu options in B 2 SPICE.
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